I've been malnourished, keeled over, sleepless, burning up and freezing for the past three days. The house I'm living in has no insulation and most of its windows are left either wide open or partially broken. The temperature inside is usually colder than outside. I've been battling a bout of food poisoning while dealing with the recent departure of Laura (my media naranja) to Winnipeg for brief trip home. I've been "sleeping" in ski pants, jackets and sweaters to fight off the cold and eating only ham-n-cheese sandwiches, bananas and medication.
Surprisingly, I woke up feeling a bit better today and looked forward to a nice sunny Saturday of sleep and recovery. Then they started drilling next door, the dog started barking and my roommates turned up the hits from the '80s on the radio. I went downstairs to make "breakfast," stepped in one of the many puddles of dog piss marking the house as "Leo's," found a mountain of dirty dishes in the sink and the refrigerator left completely ajar.
Even under clear skies it rains and it pours.
It is in this depraved state that I attempt to bridge another month-plus long blog gap. So I apologize for the cynicism, moodyness and tardiness. This is also, coincidentally, the first of these posts to be published on my Facebook page. Welcome first-time readers and fear not: not all postings are this downtrodden, self-pitying and wiry.
Now then...
My ever-lurking departure date from Chile is still up in the air, maybe more so than ever. I'm waiting to hear back from an excellent job opportunity that would keep me in Santiago, working in journalism and able to financially support myself. So as not to jinx things (which I've probably already done elsewhere) I won't delve into much detail here. I'll find out the decision this coming week and if I get it, I'll stay in Santiago indefinitely. More details to come once things have solidified (both figuratively and literally (food poisoning...get it?)). Sorry for the vagueness.
If I don't land the job, however, I'll most likely leave Chile in early June, returning home briefly to look for employment in journalism or event management elsewhere. The goal at the moment is to get a job with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. We'll see.
On the Revolver front, the magazine continues to evolve and grow with new contributors joining the team almost every week and some of the best content the site has ever had. We've just begun a more structured weekly edition where we post (at least) five fresh articles every Monday; a big step towards a more stable publishing process. I've also taken on the role of managing the editorial process which has been educational and beneficial on multiple professional, journalistic and literary levels.
My most recent article deals with the controversial Dia del Joven Combatiente (Day of the Young Combatant) "celebrations" in Chile. It was one of the most powerful events I've witnessed down here and I encourage you to read the story here. Sadly, it is most likely one of my last articles for the magazine, due to the changes coming down the pike.
The silver lining of my current bed-ridden state is that I have discovered that ESPN360.com streams most of the NBA playoff games live and have been able to maintain some semblence of sanity by catching up on hoops. Thank you ESPN for once again proving why you are the worldwide leader in sports. How great would a Cavs-Lakers Finals be? And how are the Nuggets surviving with The Birdman and K-Mart on the same squad?
That's it for now. Posts on the way include "Mustacheando" (my painful attempt at growing and supporting a mustache) and "Meet the Padres" (my parents' week-long visit to Chile (photos currently available on Facebook)).
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